Constructions and Reinforcement Structures of Connected Sandbags

ABSTRACT

A construction element for making retaining walls and erosion control structures comprises a plurality of sandbags connected together by means of a cord. The bags have flexible walls and holes through which the cord extends. The holes can be in various positions on the bags, and various spacings of the bags on the cord can be used. The construction elements can be used to form retaining walls, structures for protecting underwater shoreline areas from erosion, and other structures in the civil engineering field.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains generally to the field of erosion control and retaining walls. More specifically, it pertains to construction elements that can be used for making erosion control structures, retaining walls and similar structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Retaining wall and erosion control structures are commonly constructed using poured concrete or blocks that are affixed together with concrete. For underwater erosion control applications, permanent rock covers such as riprap are commonly used on streambanks and other shoreline areas. All such structures are costly to construct in view of the materials and labor required.

For some applications, structures made of sandbags can be used for retaining walls and erosion control purposes. Permanent structures made of sandbags have been built, using interconnecting members such as those disclosed in WO 00/61880 (Kim) published Oct. 19, 2000, to connect the sandbags together in stable and permanent arrangements. Sandbag retaining walls and similar structures have several advantages over prior art systems in those applications where they can be used, including lower cost, ease of construction and the ability to make vegetation-covered walls from seeds in the sandbag fill material. It would desirable to extend the range of applications for which sandbag structures can be used by being able to enhance the strength and stability of such structures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides construction elements that are made from a plurality of sandbags that are connected together by means of a cord that extends through holes in the sandbag walls. In one embodiment, the bags have two such holes in their walls and the cord extends through both of the holes. In another embodiment, there is a single hole in the bag wall and the cord extends through that hole and through the open mouth of the bag; when the bag is filled with fill material and the open end is sealed closed, a small opening is left to permit passage of the cord.

The invention also provides wall structures that are made of the construction elements. The elements can be laid in courses to form a retaining wall face and the free ends of the cords may be secured to the slope or fill in back of the wall face.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a structure for protecting underwater shoreline areas from erosion, comprising a plurality of the construction elements positioned on the underwater shoreline area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a construction element according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof in which the sandbags are filled and closed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the construction element, in which the sandbags are filled and closed.

FIG. 4 is a side view of another embodiment of the construction element.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a structure for protecting underwater shoreline areas from erosion, made using the construction elements.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a retaining wall made with the construction elements.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of one course of another embodiment of a retaining wall made with the construction elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

In the following description and the drawings, corresponding and like parts are referred to by the same reference characters.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the construction element 10. Bags 12 have flexible walls 14 made of geotextile or other material suitable for use as sandbags. The material of the bags should not be biodegradable, for durability of the structures made. The bags 12 have a top end 15 having a mouth or opening 16, a closed bottom end 18 and a side portion 20. The opening 16 is intended for permitting fill material to be put into the bag. In this specification, “fill material” means any material that is suitable for use in bags in the construction of walls, erosion control structures and similar structures, including sand, soil, gravel, dry-mix concrete and mixtures thereof, including, for some applications, fill material with seeds for vegetation. The term “sandbag” as used herein means a bag containing any “fill material.” For further clarity, the term is not limited to a bag in which the fill material is sand. In use, bags 12 are filled with fill material and opening 16 is then closed, for example by means of a tie 17, or by stapling, sewing, etc.

Bags 12 have two holes 22 in the walls 14 thereof. Cord 24 extends through these holes in each of the bags and attaches the bags together to form the construction element 10. Hole 22 preferably has a grommet (not shown) surrounding it. The cord 24 fits sufficiently snugly in hole 22 to prevent significant leakage of fill material from the hole. The cord may be made of any suitable and durable material, preferably a strong synthetic, non-degradable material. Plastics material such as nylon or high-density polyethylene are preferred.

The cord 24 includes knots 26 adjacent to either end. The knots have a diameter that is larger than the diameter of hole 22 and serve to retain the bags on the cord. Alternatively, clips or other kinds of retaining devices can be used on the cord in place of knots.

In one embodiment, the bags 12 are spaced sufficiently closely along the cord 24 that when they are filled they abut or nearly abut each other, as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, the bags may be spaced farther apart so that they remain well-spaced from adjacent bags after they are filled, an embodiment that is useful for some applications as discussed below.

The construction elements can have the holes 22 positioned in various different locations on the bags to facilitate specific applications. Referring to FIG. 3, construction element 30 comprises sandbags 32 in which the holes 22 are in or near the bottom end 18 of the bags. As a result, the bottom ends 18 of the bags are held close together by the cord 24 and the other ends 15 can assume spaced-apart positions. The construction element 30 is particularly suitable for use in structures to protect underwater shoreline areas from erosion. Referring to FIG. 5, shoreline 34, which may be for example the shore of a river, lake, or saltwater body, has a sloping area 36 which is partly or wholly underwater and would be subject to erosion by the action of the water. Construction elements 30 are placed on this area 36 and collectively form a structure 38 which protects the underwater shoreline area from erosion. The construction elements may be placed in random orientations and may overlie or be intermingled or entangled with each other to function in a relatively unitary manner. Optionally, they may be secured to the underwater surface 36, for example by affixing the cords 24 to the ground by means of spikes or the like. The construction elements 30 may comprise any convenient number of sandbags 12, for example, four, five, etc. The bags can be the same size or a mixture of different sizes. For example, a mixture of relatively larger and relatively smaller sandbags can be conducive to entanglement of the construction elements.

In another embodiment, construction element 40, shown in FIG. 4, comprises a plurality of bags 42 which have a single hole 22, positioned at or near the bottom end 18 of the bag, for the passage of cord 24. The cord passes through the opening 16 in the top end 15 of the bags. Once the bag is filled with fill material, opening 16 is sealed around the cord, leaving a small opening through which the cord continues to pass. The sandbags 42 are accordingly strung together end to end, to form the construction element 40.

For convenience of illustration, the construction elements are shown in the figures having three or four bags, but it will be understood that they may comprise any number of bags that would be suitable for a particular application, for example two bags, five bags, ten bags, etc.

The construction elements of the invention can be used in the construction of retaining walls and similar structures. In general terms, they can be used in any application in which ordinary sandbags could be used. To such applications they bring the superior qualities of strength and stability that are imparted by virtue of the attachment of several bags together into a single unit. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary retaining wall 50 made using construction elements 40. The wall comprises a plurality of courses 52, forming a wall face 53 supporting a slope 54. Each course 52 comprises one or more construction elements 40 comprising sandbags 42 attached together by means of cords 24. The courses 52 are laid in a generally horizontal orientation, or following the contour of the ground as required, and are laid one course atop the other, in a generally vertically sloping array as required for the particular slope being supported. In the typical application, where the length of the retaining wall 50 is much longer than the length of a single construction element, each course will comprise several construction elements 40, positioned end to end. The free ends of the cords 24 at the ends of the construction elements are preferably anchored to the slope, or to fill placed in back of the wall face, by means of spikes 56.

The wall may be further strengthened and stabilized by various means. Optionally, rods 58, made of a non-degradable material such as fiberglass, may be driven through multiple courses of sandbags. Also optionally, the construction elements may be arranged so that the sandbags in vertically-adjacent courses are in a staggered arrangement, i.e with each sandbag being positioned over two sandbags of the vertically-adjacent lower course. Also optionally, and preferably, interconnecting members are used between each course 52 in order to attach vertically- and horizontally-adjacent sandbags together. Such interconnecting members are described in WO 00/61880 and are commercially available under the trademark DELTALOK from Deltalok Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Although FIG. 6 illustrates the use of construction elements 40 in a retaining wall, it will readily be seen that construction elements 10 may be used in essentially the same manner in the construction of a retaining wall. In such case, the sandbags 12 are oriented extending lengthwise from the slope, so that the outer side of the wall face is formed of the ends 18 or 15 of the sandbags, rather than their sides 12.

Another example of a retaining wall structure made using the construction elements is shown in FIG. 7. Retaining wall 60 supporting slope 54 incorporates a construction element 10 having spaced-apart sandbags 12. Individual sandbags 62 forming the wall face 64 abut and are attached to sandbags 12, by means of interconnecting members 66. The interconnecting members comprise a plate having projections 67 on both sides which protrude into sandbags of vertically-adjacent courses and into horizontally-adjacent sandbags. They may be of the types described in WO 00/61880 (Kim). Other courses of the retaining wall 60 may comprise individual sandbags, or construction elements of the type shown in FIG. 1 or 4, or courses constructed like the one illustrated in FIG. 7, or combinations of these types of courses, as may be appropriate or convenient for a particular application.

While exemplary embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize that certain modifications thereof may be made. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims are interpreted to include all such modifications, as are within their true scope. 

1. A construction element comprising: (a) a plurality of bags having flexible walls and a sealable opening for insertion of fill material into said bag, each of said bags having at least one hole in said wall thereof; and (b) a cord extending through said holes attaching said bags together.
 2. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein each of said bags has two said holes in said wall thereof and said cord extends through both of said holes.
 3. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein said bag wall has a side portion and opposed end portions and said hole is at or proximate to one of said end portions.
 4. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein said bag has a side portion and opposed end portions and said sealable opening is in one of said end portions.
 5. A construction element according to claim 4 wherein said cord extends through said sealable opening and wherein said at least one hole is in or proximate to said end portion opposite to said sealable opening.
 6. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein said cord comprises a plastics material.
 7. A construction element according to claim 6 wherein said plastics comprises nylon.
 8. A construction element according to claim 1 wherein said bags are sandbags containing said fill material.
 9. A wall structure comprising a plurality of construction elements according to claim
 8. 10. A wall structure according to claim 9 comprising a plurality of courses, each of said courses comprising one or more of said construction elements.
 11. A wall structure according to claim 10 wherein said cords of said construction elements extend from ends of said courses and are secured to a slope supported by said wall structure.
 12. A wall structure according to claim 10 further comprising rods extending through said sandbags in a plurality of said courses.
 13. A wall structure according to claim 10 wherein said sandbags in said courses are attached together by means of interconnecting members which attach vertically and horizontally-adjacent sandbags together.
 14. A structure for protecting underwater shoreline areas from erosion, comprising a plurality of construction elements according to claim 8 positioned on said underwater shoreline area.
 15. A structure according to claim 14 wherein said sandbags comprise sandbags of different sizes.
 16. An structure according to claim 14 wherein said construction elements are anchored to said underwater shoreline area by means of said cords.
 17. A retaining wall structure comprising: (a) a plurality of courses of sandbags forming a wall face supporting a mass of fill material, each of said courses comprising a plurality of sandbags; (b) interconnecting members positioned between adjacent courses to connect sandbags of each course to said sandbags of each adjacent course; and (c) a construction element according to claim 8 wherein said sandbags of said construction element extend from said wall face into said fill material, said extending sandbags being attached by means of an interconnecting member to one or more of said sandbags forming said wall face, said cord of said construction element being anchored to said fill material or to a slope supported by said wall face. 